Body Found in Prospect Park

Published: June 25, 2000

A fisherman getting ready to cast his line into Prospect Park Lake early yesterday morning came across the body of an unidentified man whose throat had been cut and who had apparently been dumped by the water's edge, the police and the fisherman said.

The fisherman, Joseph DePascale, who said he fishes for largemouth bass in the lake, found the body at the water's edge about 7 a.m., near Wells Drive and the East Park Drive, he said.

''I went down near the bank to fish and saw a sneaker sticking out of the water, and as I got closer realized there was a body there,'' Mr. DePascale said.

''He was laying close to the bank, right by the grass, and his throat had been cut,'' Mr. DePascale said of the victim.

The police said there were drag marks near the water's edge, where the body was apparently placed into the water. Investigators said they thought the body had been brought into the park in the trunk of a car.

''It appears that the victim was dumped at the location,'' said Detective Carolyn Chew, a police spokeswoman.

The police yesterday were trying to identify the victim, who they said was a Hispanic man in his 30's, with several tattoos, dressed in a black shirt, black pants and sneakers.

Photo: The police examined an area where a body was found yesterday. (Aaron Lee Fineman for The New York Times)